# Light Bulb ban is on Hold! Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600 "2011-12-18T00:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/21 "2011-12-18T17:20:24Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I’ve tried a couple of the compact fluorescents that are supposedly a match for an incandescent 150-watt bulb… I recently bought [these 42-watt compact fluorescent lights](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AZOV9K/ref=oh_o00_s00_i01_details) for our garage. I haven’t done a side-by-side comparison but they are _very_ bright. They are “cool white” color though. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/22 "2011-12-18T17:22:15Z")
We have an outdoor cat house that is heated with incandescent bulbs. What will I do if they’re banned? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/23 "2011-12-18T17:25:35Z")
stores that sell CFL or batteries will often have recycling for those items. rechargeable batteries replace hundreds of disposable batteries and so are a very good thing all the way around. useful in devices that you use frequently like a radio or flashlight, good to have a couple more batteries than devices to rotate then. disposable batteries are better for remote controls and smoke alarms. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/24 "2011-12-18T17:29:02Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > We have an outdoor cat house that is heated with incandescent bulbs. What will I do if they’re banned? low efficiency incandescent bulbs are banned in certain sizes. more efficient incandescent bulbs, specialty bulbs and lower wattage bulbs still exist in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/25 "2011-12-18T17:38:56Z")
The rules don’t ban incandescents, although they make certain types impossible to manufacture. The rules are that each bulb has to put out x number of lumens per watt, where x gets larger over time (ie, the rules get stricture out in time). And, as noted, we’re already on that treadmill in CA, regardless of what happens in the rest of the US. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/26 "2011-12-18T18:40:59Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > We have an outdoor cat house that is heated with incandescent bulbs. What will I do if they’re banned? First of all, nothing is being banned. The standards for light bulbs are changing so that the traditional incandescent bulb won’t meet the standard. Second, you’ll still be able to buy heat lamp bulbs if you’re more interested in heat than light. But if you want light from the bulbs, there are other technologies that can provide more light while producing less heat. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/27 "2011-12-18T18:47:10Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > We have an outdoor cat house that is heated with incandescent bulbs. What will I do if they’re banned? As others said, incandescent bulbs are not banned; the law just sets a limit on how efficient they must be. There are high-efficiency incandescent bulbs that meet the new requirement. As for your cat house, you can use a same wattage bulb that you used before; it will produce as much heat, and more light than before. Another option would be to use a ceramic heater that screws into a light bulb socket, [like this](http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/2533/product.web). It’s safer than a light bulb anyway (the surface isn’t as hot, it’s more durable, and doesn’t produce glass shards even if it’s broken), and your cats may prefer the darkness. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/28 "2011-12-18T20:48:42Z")
Rereading the OP I was bit cranky then usual last night. Chalk it up as to much coffee and adrenaline from Christmas shopping. 😃 Normally I wouldn’t put a string of exclamation marks like that in the header or even my OP. I’m still glad we got a reprieve on the light bulb ban. For however long it lasts. Who knows, they may even repeal it if we can shift a few politicians out of office next Nov. Some Trivia. Little things do matter. Clinton was my governor and I still recall vividly his first term. He made a lot of changes that shook up the average citizen. One of his bright ideas was to triple the hunting & fishing license to pay for some new program he’d dreamed up. He got beat by Frank White in the very next election. Who wisely reduce the fee back to the original value. Yes, other factors lead to Clinton’s only election defeat. But, that tiny, insignificant thing like a license fee was a big factor. It was hammered home in lots of ad commercials. Lesson? Don’t mess with our light bulbs or other trivial things. You may find yourself out of office and collecting unemployment. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/29 "2011-12-19T02:38:21Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Lesson? Don’t mess with our light bulbs or other trivial things. You may find yourself out of office and collecting unemployment. Bill Clinton never collected unemployment. He was a well-known lawyer, and promptly got job offers from several prominent law firms. And it hardly matters if Congress does or does not ‘ban’ incandescent bulbs. They are already being ‘banned’ by Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, etc. Who are stocking fewer and fewer of them in their stores. They say it’s because such bulbs aren’t selling well. So maybe it’s the public at large who is ‘banning’ these bulbs, by not buying them. Whatever, they’re a dying breed, with sales volume declining for years now. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/30 "2011-12-19T02:58:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > At least this gives more time for LED technology to improve and get more cost efficient. The CFL has always been a highly flawed & dangerous technology that will eventually be replaced by LED technology. > > LED’s will be everywhere in just a few more years. They are already being used in newer autos and home lighting. The biggest problem is still the cost and that will come down with time. When LED-based bulbs reach commercial viability, how would you feel about banning CFLs? ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/31 "2011-12-19T04:14:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > How many fixtures in your house use 100 watt, 75 watt and 40 watt bulbs? That just sounds like a ridiculous amount to spend on bulbs you won’t need for years and a ridiculous amount of space to devote to their storage. People spend a lot more money on a lot more stupid things than ensuring decent quality light for the rest of their lives. Even if LEDs become as good as incandescents at some point in the future I don’t think stocking up on light bulbs is a bad idea to hedge your bets in case they don’t. Light bulbs don’t spoil, so you can just stash them in the garage rafters or an attic or something, it’s not like they’re taking up space in your broom closet or fridge. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/32 "2011-12-19T05:52:45Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Apparently you are unaware that ALL fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. They do. All of them. > > We transitioned to CFL’s a while back and disposal issues are a pain in the ass. No one wants them because they’re “hazardous waste”, but I suppose we’re supposed to stockpile them somewhere in our living quarters until doomsday? both Home Depot and Lowe’s have collection bins where you can drop off CFLs for recycling. also known as “here, you guys throw these away” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/33 "2011-12-19T09:08:30Z")
Apparently not in my neighborhood - I’ve asked. They look at me like I’ve grown a spare head and say “not our problem”. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/34 "2011-12-19T10:20:29Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > I’ve tried a couple of the compact fluorescents that are supposedly a match for an incandescent 150-watt bulb, and I have yet to find one I can read by. Hopefully, as technology marches on, that will change. You need 150 watts to read by? Dude relax your inner eyelid, this isn’t planet Vulcan, alright? ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/35 "2011-12-19T10:46:08Z")
I work customer service,and I regularly get customers returning the “twisty” bulbs after weeks/months because they did not last! I myself made the “change” to these evil bulbs a couple years ago. I did not notice ANY drop in electrical usage, but I did notice that I could not see! I HATE,HATE, HATE the type of lighting they provide, and will be stockpiling the regular bulbs myself!!! ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/36 "2011-12-19T13:16:57Z")
Ya can’t beat the orange glow of those old Edison carbon filament lamps! And a bargain at $30 each! The real draw-these things last 100 years! ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/37 "2011-12-19T13:51:53Z")
As a lighting professional I’m one of the ones against the regulation of light bulbs. But money is always a powerful factor and the lighting industry has spent a lot of it lobbying for this legislation…and they have seen returns that make it worth it. The literature I get on these products is very different from the consumer literature, there is a lot of emphasis on money to be made by promoting energy conservation…much of it wordplay using the word “green”. And they have been very successful, consumers happily spend 5 or 10 times as much for a new light bulb as they did an old one…by playing to that old " make feel good for doing good instinct, they love paying more because they think they are saving the world by buying an overpriced light bulb. Well, to quote one of the lighting manufacturers’. “People, Planet, Profits”!!! Just don’t be suprised when your heating bill goes up in the winter and wipes out the energy savings from your new pricey light bulbs. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/38 "2011-12-19T13:59:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There’s nothing wrong with standard fluorescent fixtures like everyone uses in offices and home kitchens. Except that they make your kitchen look like an office. The look of those institutional type ceiling fixtures is just depressing and I don’t care to look at it in my own home. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/39 "2011-12-19T14:23:49Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Just don’t be suprised when your heating bill goes up in the winter and wipes out the energy savings from your new pricey light bulbs. . . .and your cooling bill goes down in the summer and - oh wait, that’s a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600/40 "2011-12-19T14:24:43Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Just don’t be suprised when your heating bill goes up in the winter and wipes out the energy savings from your new pricey light bulbs. :dubious: How is that even possible? I suppose that might happen if electricity is cheaper than whatever energy source is used for heat, but I can’t think of such a situation. If the cost of heating is the same as the cost of electricity, the heating bill increase will (at most) exactly match the electricity savings. But light bulbs are often inefficient heaters, say in ceiling fixtures where the heat is lost into the attic. So even in these cases, CFLs will give a net energy savings. And that savings will be even greater if heat is cheaper than electricity. Plus, there’s the entire rest of the year where there’s the electricity savings, and savings in reduced air conditioning load. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/light-bulb-ban-is-on-hold-whew/606600.md?page=3)